Inspiration? Where's that darn Muse when you need her?

Sometimes working with another author’s writing can give us a jumping off place for our own creativity. This prompt asks you to use your critical thinking skills in analyzing existing characters in hopes you will gain insights into your own creations. It's also a good way to get ideas when your Muse is off sunning herself on some Caribbean beach...

Directions:

1) Think of your favorite book or story. You now have the opportunity to ask one question of character in that work.

1a)  So…in your journal, answer the following three questions:

• What is the work of literature? (for example: Hamlet by William Shakespeare)
• Who is the character your question is directed toward? (Hamlet)
• What is the question you’d ask? (Did you truly loved Ophelia or were you just using her?).

Done?

1b) Now answer the question you posed in two ways:

• as if you were the character
• as if you were another character in that work (for example, what would Laertes’ answer be about Hamlet’s motives?)

2) Post your paper on the windows and walls for others to read. Once you've posted, now you become a reader. Readers, once the pieces are posted, use the white space on the page to ask questions or make positive remarks about content or style.

Writing: in your journal, answer the following as debriefing questions (we may also discuss these in class if there is time):

How did you feel when you read your work was to be "published"? Did it affect what you wrote or the way you approached your piece?

What were you thinking as you read others' work?

What have you learned about your own writing?